[Hilton] Front Office Manager

As the Front Office Manager, you will be responsible for performing the following tasks to the highest standards:

• Maintain high customer service focus by approaching your job with the customers always in mind.
• Have a positive impact, taking personal responsibility and initiative to resolve issues, always clearly communicating with both customers and colleagues.
• Motivated and committed, approaching all tasks with enthusiasm and seizing opportunities to learn new skills or knowledge in order to improve your personal performance.
• Be flexible, responding quickly and positively to changing requirements including the performance of any tasks requested of you.
• Maintain high team focus by showing cooperation and support to colleagues in the pursuit of team goals.
• Contribute ideas and suggestions to enhance operational / environmental procedures in the hotel.
• Actively promote the services and facilities of Hilton hotels to guests and suppliers of the hotel.
• Actively seek verbal feedback from customers and team members at every opportunity.
• Agree and implement actions to make improvements to customer service.
• Positively dealing with and learn from customer complaints and comments with follow-up and feedback to the Director of Rooms.
• Make sure all customer requests and queries are responded to promptly and effectively while assisting on the floor during peak periods each day.
• Be available to assist on duty in the hotels during any busy days or special events.
• Maintain a presence in the lobby setting the example for team members for guest service.
• Be proactive towards guests, assisting them with any reasonable requests, and training all team members to see these things before the guests ask.
• Have detailed knowledge of Hilton departmental standards, explaining the standards to the team and training each team member individually with specific job skills checklists that relate to their responsibilities.
• Assess team members’ performance against standards.
• Monitor standards through regular standards review checks.
• Develop action plans to address shortfalls in standards and identify shortfalls before they affect customer service.
• Implement and follow through with improvements identified.
• Demonstrate positive leadership characteristics which inspire team members to meet and exceed standards.
• Prepare rosters and job schedules for team members to meet business needs (taking into consideration internal activities, occupancy and external events, promotions etc.).
• Communicate effectively with Housekeeping, groups and tours about any in-house group holding catering events, ensuring direct liaison with group leaders upon arrival for special requests.
• Describe, assign and delegate duties and authority for the operation of the department at all times.
• Understand the situation in other departments and their implications for your own department.
• Plan ahead and ensure adequate resources are available.
• Coordinate with the Housekeeping department to ensure cleaning is followed-up, ensuring that follow-up procedures are maintained.
• Ensure that the shift is reviewed, handovers and briefings are carried out.
• Maintain in-depth technical knowledge and skills required for the job.
• Maintain guest histories to assist with returning guests.
• Establish good communication with the Housekeeping team.
• Attend and participate in regular operational and hotel meetings.
• Ensure that supplier liaison with the Purchasing team ensures maximum support with regards to sponsorship, marketing and pricing initiatives.
• Responsible for the maximization of room revenue and profit through commercial room management, ensuring a consistently high standard of customer service within the department.
• Make all decisions regarding overbooking the hotel on the same day, ensure all out bookings are carried out by members of the Management and that overbooking levels for future days will be monitored by the Reservation Manager.
• Understand the goals of the hotel and the department’s role in achieving it, communicating goals to the team.
• Ensure that daily operation is managed by the Assistant Front Office Manager, Duty Managers, Chief Concierge and Supervisors who are totally accountable for the profitability and service standards achieved.
• Set and agree to departmental objectives for self and team.
• Represent the needs of the team to others in the hotel.
• Get members of the team to work co-operatively with others.
• Keep the team up to date on departmental, hotel and company activities through regular communication meetings and memos, including special events, promotions in the restaurants and bars.
• Be aware of potential highs and lows in the business.
• Create and implement sales promotions and team members incentives as per discussion with the Director of Rooms.
• Assist the Marcom team with the preparation of event brochures.
• Assist with the annual marketing plan to establish a list of marketing activities in line with the annual business plan, supported by appropriate advertising and promotion budgets from suppliers with the support of the Marcom team.
• Identify, communicate and act on potential sales leads.
• Participate in the development of the annual budget, developing short and long term financial operating plans.
• Use key monitors and financial targets to evaluate the department’s performance and make future plans.
• Analyze financial information that is provided via the payroll system and Opera PMS , to assist decision making.
• Complete regular financial and operating reports as required or requested by the Director of Rooms.
• Forecast potential costs, review expenses on a monthly basis and implement actions for improvement, following the company’s control procedures.
• Communicate relevant financial information to the team.
• Analyze and explain any financial variance against plans.
• Set-up and maintain leave plans for the department.
• Monitor, control and minimize overtime for the department.
• Carry out seasonal inventory of operating equipment.
• Understand the quantity and quality of people needed to operate the department.
• Carry out selection interviews and make effective recruitment decisions based on skills and attitude.
• Ensure that new recruits have all relevant information before commencing employment.
• Plan and ensure that departmental orientation is carried out.
• Ensure standards trainings and assessments are carried out.
• Regularly review individual and team performance against objectives and provide feedback.
• Develop and implement department training plans to meet business needs.
• Carry out training programs for team members with the Learning & Development Manager and departmental trainers.
• Assist in the training of team members ensuring that they have the necessary skills to perform their duties with maximum efficiency.
• Review and evaluate all training activities.
• Carry out annual appraisals with all team members in accordance with legal and hotel guidelines and identify individual training needs.
• Provide relevant training to new team members.
• Introduce appropriate product knowledge courses for team members.
• Understand relevant Health & Safety (H&S) legislations and their implications on the operation of the department.
• Communicate to the team their responsibilities within H&S.
• Ensure that safe and healthy working practices are implemented at all times.
• Participate in community public relations for the hotel.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Managers